Mortal Kombat to employ online pass to curb used game sales

Looks like Warner Bros’ upcoming fighter Mortal Kombat would be joining the online-pass bandwagon which will require you to redeem a one-time unlock code in order to play online.

This news come via Joystiq, who’s gotten hold of an email, apparently sent out by Warner to retailers informing them about the pass and how they can sell it.

The online pass would cost 800 Microsoft points or $10. Here’s the excerpt which discloses this information from the email:

Mortal Kombat, available on April 19 for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, includes a one-time-use registration code that gives players access to all online modes in the game. Players who do not have a code will get a free two-day trial of the online play and then be able to purchase the online modes for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and $9.99 on the PlayStation Network.

It’s interesting to note that players who doesn’t have the online pass would still be able to play online for two days as part of a “two-day trail of online play”, according to Warner.

Warner Bros are not the first one to do so, with EA and THQ both implementing this method of online verification  in the past. This is mostly done in order to keep in check the used game sales of their games and make a small profit from those, as the second-hand game buyer requires to buy a new online pass in order to enjoy all the features of the game.

This is not the first game from Warner to come with this system either, as both F.E.A.R 3 and Batman: Arkham City have been confirmed to implement this aswell.

Mortal Kombat releases next month for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Read our hands-on impression of the game here.